Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-09-22

plicate will be proportionately relieved. The
most reliable data that can be obtained in
dicate that the increase of our tax duplicate
for this year will be much greater than II
was for last year. The per cent. bonds,
amounting to about 81, 2+0 600, maturing
December 81, 1886, have been refunded into
bonds bearing but per cent. interest per
annum, and these have been sold at such
premium as to reduce the net rate of inter-
est TO the unprecedently low figure OF :. - per
cent per annum. In consequence of these
payments and this refunding Of the bonds,
tine annual interest charge of the state has
been reduced from Sl93, 400 to SlO6, ,2OO. In
other words the financial condition of the
state is such to-day, as compared with what
it was when this administration commenced
in January, loS6, that we have, notwlth-
standing the new loan of S50O,000, OF which
l have spoken, a saving annually in the mat
ter of interest alone, Of SST, 200
LGovernor Foraker here presented tables
compiled by the state board OF cherl-
ties, consisting of three Democrats and three
Republicans, showing that there has under
the present state administration been great
reduction in the expense of maintaining the
state institutions
Such figures need no elaboration They
eloquently and conclusively refute all
charges of extravaganza. 1t is unnecessary
to use any harsh words to describe the busI-
ness character of the last administration. 1t
is sufficient to point to the fact that no
matter why it may be so, it is nevertheless
true that in the penitentiary alone there was
a net loss, On account of the cost of support
ing the convicts and from other causes, for
which the state never received any equiva-
lent whatever, of more than S205, ,OOO
according to their own figures while under
this administration there has been no loss
whatever 1t is also true that under the
last administration it cost more by S+lO1
per capita to keep $50 inmates of the Central
asylum for the insane than it has cost Under
the present administration. making total
difference in this one institution, on single
account, OF about $4,000. And yet, not
wirhstanding al this, Mr.. Powell charges
that the present administration has been
more extravagant to the amount of Sl3S, 500
than the last administration was. He
parades a table of figures to confirm his
statement. But he reaches his conclusion,
as he shows by his figures and admits in his
comments, by deducting. expenditures OF
Hoadly to the amount of S4SS, 1885. He
might with equal propriety, deduct on the
came account a much larger sum. But his
own showing is that the Hoadly administra-
ton expended S349, 555. Sc more than this,
and his claim is that if Hoadly's expendi-
lures had been S4Ss, 1886 less than they
were our expenditures would have been
greater than theirs by the amount of $685.
S67 His figures are not accurate and his
claim is untenable, but it is not necessary to
answer such statement. It answers itself
d
who said, if ne could catch the mole he was
digging for, and two more, he would then
have three, and he would regard that as a
fair days work.
But there are other respects in which
the public welfare has been promoted
Never in the history of the state was the
good name of Ohio so abused as during the
last administration. The senatorial election
of Henry B. Payne and the open, notorious
and high-handed frauds at the polls and
forgerles in the returns or the election of
October, 1885, in the cities OF Cincinnati and
Columbus, at once disgraced and startled
the people of the whole state. | do not need
to dwell upon the character of the election
of Mr. Payne to the senate. 1t is sufficient
that, according to Democratic authority, it
was but corrupt and disgraceful bargain
and sale transaction.
After quoting Ex-Governor HOadly's de-
nunciation of the Cincinnati frauds, Gov
ernor Foraker said:l
But as a result-of THESE frauds, concern ing
which Governor Hoadly so frankly and
truthfully spoke, ten Democrats were seated
in the house and four ID the senate OF the
last general assembly to represent Hamilton
county. Every one OF them knew when he
took MS seat, and every intelligent man In
the state, Democrat or Republican, knew
when they took their seaUs that they had no
moral right TO them, and no color of legal
right except only as the result of fraud
ing that under such circumstances men
claiming to be OF respectable chara cter
should have the hardInood to pretend to
have been duly chosen, and still more amaz-
ing that they should defiantly Defend as the
fruits of such frauds and forgeries, the seats
which they had taken. 1t seemed incredi-
ble that any body would, in the most indi-
rect manner, sanction such crimes. Yet we
were engaged for weeks and even months in
taking testimony and contending against
parliamentary delays until tens of thousands
of dollars of the peoples money had been
expended, in order that the -Four Frauds"
as they had been aptly termed, might be
elected from the senate, and the peoples
will, as it had been expressed at the ballot
box, be given effect. The defense by these
men of the seats they knew they were
wrongfully holding was equa led only by the
zeal and bitter determination with "sSich
every Democratic member of the senate
rallied to their support, thus making the
defense of the infamous crimes to which
Governor Hoadly refers parry matter,
and saddling the responsibility for it upon
the party as such
You will remember that this defense
was made, not only to the extent OF subject
ing the state to an unnecessary exIsnse OF
thousands of dollars, in taking testimony
and otherwise carrying on the contest, but
that when, finally, it became apparent that
the right was about to prevail, III last des-
perate effort to prevent it, the Democratic
senators in body, and in violation OF their
oaths. abandoned their seats and fled from
the state. No such folly has been practiced,
and no such political wickedneSS has been
attempted on the part Of men of intelligence,
acting as representatives of the people, since
the rebellion. Their deliberate and avowed
purpose was to take advantage of the known
distressed financial condition OF the state to
coerce an acquiescence, in their enjoyment,
for the benefit of the Democr attic party, OF
the fruits of the most infamous crimes,
against honest elections, that have ever been
perpetrated on Ohio soil There is not
single one Of the senators, who lent himself
to this conspiracy, who Is not heartily
ashamed of the part he played in it. There
is not one of them who would not gladly
efface that part of his record if it were pos
sible for him to do so. There Is not an in
telhgent, decent, respectable Democrat in
the whole state of Ohio, who was not
ashamed to see the Representatives of his
party engaged in such movement in the
name of, and at the expense of his party.
All the decent elements of the state, Demo
Gratis as we'll as Republicans, condemned
their action with one voice and were re-
joiced to see it come for naught in the law
ful triumph of the contestants who were,
notwithstanding all such opposition, duly
seated.
Mr. Powell has seen fit to refer to this
chapter OF the political history of the state.
In his reference, however, he has not had
word OF concentration TO speak, SUCH US
Governor Hoadly so manfully uttered, for
the frauds that we're committed at the polls
or for the per riuries and forgeries that were
committed in tine returns. He has not
word Of condemnation for the braZen defense
that was made for these frauds in the name
and for the benefit of the Democratic party.
He does not utter one word of omplaint
that his whole party, as such, should have
saddled upon it, the stigma of defending
such crimes. He leaves it to me to say, as
gladly do, that these infamous crimes and
their infamous defense were a gross injustice
to and outrage upon the great mass Of the
Democratic party of the state. The great mass
of the people who vote that ticket scorn
and despise such methods as much as do any
other class of people, and they resent as
keenly as other people Of clean conscience
and good character all attempts to make
them responsible for such iniquities In not
defending them from such a responsibility
Mr.. Powell has done the great body of his
followers a gross injustice.
But what he does say, and all he says, is
denunciation Of the Republican party be-
cause it succeeded in bringing these crimes
and frauds to naught. In other words he
brings forward the disgraceful matter, only
that he may enter complaint that fraud was
NOT allOvad To triumnh R,h ha snaaL Lys aIeo